Meat treating method and means



Patented July 30, .1935

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEAT TREATING METHOD AND MEANS No Drawing.Application April 13, 1931, Serial No. 529,886. In Canada September 11,1929 2 Claims.

5 normally, during chilling and transport, lose moisture and become darkin color. This application is a continuation in part of applicantsapplication for United States patent entitled Method and means forpreserving the natural color of cut surfaces of fresh meat, filedFebruary 11, 1929, Serial No. 339,259.

An object of this invention is to provide a method and means by whichfresh meat may be cut in a manner to produce pieces of desired size andshape requiring the production of cut surfaces of meat tissue and keptfor extended periods of time thereafter without an appreciable change inthe color, appearance or condition of the cut surfaces of said pieces.

Other objects of our invention are to provide a method for preventingany substantial change in appearance or condition of the out surfaces offresh meat; to provide a coating for the prevention of drying anddarkening of the normally exposed cut surfaces of fresh meat; .toprovide an improved coating having germicidal ingredients therein whichinhibit the growth of bacteria; to provide a protective coating whichwill prevent any material change in cut surfaces by providing a hermeticseal which will adhere to the surfaces of meat during normal handling;to provide a method for treating the cut surfaces of meat which willinhibit the growth of bacteria and avoid desiccation and oxidation.

For many years it has been found economically preferable to slaughtermeat animals at central locations readily accessible to the source ofproduction, to dress the animal at such point and ship the dressed meatto the consuming centers. Originally, beef animals destined to beconsumed as fresh meat, without pickling, salting or smoking, wereshipped alive and slaughtered by or near the retail meat dealer who soldthe meat to the consumer. The advent of the refrigerator car permittedthe slaughter of beef animals near the point of production, the dressedcarcass rather than the live animal being shipped to the consumingcenter. The center of the beef slaughtering and dressing industry in theUnited States is in the Middle West at such concentration points asChicago, Kansas City and Omaha. It was very early found that forconvenience in handling and transportation the beef carcass should besubdivided. In the first instance, this was done by splitting thebackbone, dividing the carcass into two sides. The subdivision was latercarried one step further by dividing each side In half, resulting inquarters. The division into quarters was effected by cutting through therib, exposing a cut surface of meat at this point. As time went on, itwas found that various Eastern consuming centers demanded differentportions of the carcass, necessitating still further subdivision. At thepresent time, perhaps more than threefourths of the beef slaughtered atMiddle Western packing plants for shipment to Eastern consuming centersis divided into such small divisions as rounds, chucks, and quarters. Itwill be readily seen that such subdivision results in exposure of two ormore out surfaces. For years,

many millions of pounds of beef so subdivided has been shipped annually.

It might be well at this point to note that cattle, hogs and sheepcomprise the greater proportion of the meat diet of the American people.Sheep, being small, areconventionally dressed by removing the pelt,head, feet and entrails and are sold without subdividing the carcass.Hogs are conventionally cut into many portions, much of which is used inthe production of lard and such preserved meats as salt pork, hams andbacon. Cattle, on the other hand, are ordinarily sold to the consumer asfresh beef, a negligible quantity of beef being cured or smoked forconsumption.

This invention relates particularly to fresh beef. Although it may beused with cooked or cured meats, this invention is intended mainly toaccomplish the different purpose of preserving the bloom on cut surfacesof fresh meat, more especially beef. It should be borne in mind thatthere is a very real difference between fresh meat and smoked or curedmeat and that there is a very real difference-between the cut'surfaceofmeat and any other surface. In the case of beef, for instance, allportions of the carcass are covered with either fat or othernon-muscular tissue. It is only the cut surface to which this inventionapplies. The cut surface is apt to darken, to lose moisture, to spoiland to deteriorate by reason of exposure within a very short time aftercutting. Inasmuch as beef ordinarily is not consumed sooner than. ten tofifteen days after subdivision into the wholesale cuts, it often becomesnecessary for the wholesaler or retailer in the Eastern markets to trimthe cut surfaces of the beef, resulting in considerable waste. In theaggregate, this waste amounts to a tremendous loss, in view of the manymillions of pounds of beef shipped in the form of wholesale cuts. It. isone of the purposes of our invention to eliminate this waste, tominimize shrinkage, and to permit delivery to the consumer of beef inits natural fresh and wholesome condition.

Fresh meat, such as beef, differs very materially from smoked or curedmeat, such as conventional smoked hams. In the first place,deterioration of freshmeat is retarded by refrigeration, the object ofwhich is to retain the product without change. On the other hand, smokedor cured meat is preserved by means of permeating and saturating thetissue with preservative agents, the object of which is to preventdeterioration of the product in the absence of refrigeration. Thesurface of smoked meat, for example, is covered with a pyroligneousdeposit during the smoking. It is darkened and purposely dried so thatthe original condition is changed, the outer surface being renderedrather unpalatable. In the second place, smoked meat is ordinarilyseparated from other portions of the carcass before treatment, usuallyon lines that do not run across the grain of any substantial portion ofnon-fatty muscular tissue. Although other noncomminuted products aresometimes smoked, it should be noted that in general, smoked meats arepork products. Fresh meat, especially beef, when subdivided intowholesale cuts for transportation, is ordinarily cut across the musculargrain which permits the loss of moisture through the natural oozing outof the meat juices and subsequent evaporation.

Any method of preserving the natural color and condition of the cutsurfaces of fresh meat must avoid any such preserving action as wouldtend to alter in any way, the character or condition of the meat at thesurface. If the cut surface of the fresh meat be preserved by a coating,it is essential of course that such coating be easily removable withoutaffecting the appearance or contour of the cut surface. It is essentialthat such coating adhere to the surface during normal handling, and inthis connection, it might well be noted that normal handling issometimes not synonymous with gentle or careful handling.

Bacteria are usually present upon the cut surface. If the meat ispromptly and thoroughly chilled after slaughter, refrigerationsufflciently inhibits the growth of bacteria to avoid decomposition ofproducts during normal storage periods. However, it has been found thatthe cut surface of beef deteriorates very quickly in spite ofrefrigeration.

Part of this deterioration is probably due to oxidation. Certainly partis due to desiccation and it would appear that a substantial part is dueto bacterial action, the conditions for bacterial growth beingapparently more favorable at the surface. In this connection it wouldseem that the constant oozing out of meat juices would carry additionalbacteria from the interior to the surface, causing a concentration ofbacteria at this point. It has been known for many years that smoked andcured meats may be treated with coatings in order to avoid the growth ofmoulds upon the surface and to avoid attack by insects and rodents.Applicants are familiar with such patents as the patent to Roth, No.1,025,925, the patent to Fitzgerald, No. 1,048,675 and the patent toMitchell, No. 654,118, and other teachings of a similar nature. Theteachings of Mitchell, Roth and Fitzgerald and other workers in thatfield relate to smoked and preserved meats and the like. In someinstances, these workers were attempting to develop insecticides androdent repellents. In other words, they were seeking to avoid the growthof moulds on cured meats. In no instance were they concerned withpreserving the natural original color and condition of a cut surface ofmeat. These workers were dealing with products which had already beentreated with preservatives and which had not been further subdivided toexpose cut surfaces.

This invention is directed to that elusive bloom or color whichcharacterizes the freshly cut meat surfaces and causes it to stand outas untreated, unpreserved and unchanged in the ordinary sense of theseterms. Many attempts have been made to solve the problem which isinherent in exposing the cut surface of meat and then holding for anyconsiderable time after such surface has been exposed. Applicants havemade extensive experiments in this connection and believe that asatisfactory solution of the problem involves several factors.

In the first place, loss of moisture must be prevented, first to avoidshrinkage of the product and second to avoid drying out and hardening ofthe cut surfaces. Any change of color is to be avoided whether or notaccompanied by drying out. Bacterial action must be avoided or inhibitedto prevent decomposition of the surface. The natural bloom must bepreserved inasmuch as a varnished appearance is just as objectionable asa darkened or dried out appearance. If a coating is used, it must beeasily removable without pullingaway any appreciable portion of themeat.

One example of a coating which we have discovered which may be used withsatisfactory results involves the presence of small quantities ofessential oils in coatings of this class, to prevent spoiling and topreserve the natural fresh color and appearance of freshly cut surfacesof meat. Essential oils also prevent bacterial growth on the surface ofthe meat and in the materials comprising the coating. Various essentialoils, such as oil-of-cloves, may be used in the coating, eitherindividually or in combinations, such as a mixture of oil of blackpepper, coriander and allspice. Active agents comprising other volatileoils having germicidal and condimental properties may also be used. Inone particular embodiment of our invention, a solution is madecontaining 57% water, 25% glycerin, 18% gelatin and substantially 0.1%essential oil.

This solution may be applied with a brush or spraying device on clothplaced on the cut surface of the meat. The entire piece of meat may bewrapped in fabric such as export beef cloth or the fabric may be appliedonly on the cut surfaces. The coating is then allowed to congeal. Inthis particular coating, the glycerin, being hygroscopic, preserves thegelatin in a flexible condition, thus avoiding cracking. The essentialoil as already mentioned, acts as a germicide. The gelatin acts as ahermetic seal. The fabric serves a double purpose. In the first place,when the mixture is applied, it serves as a binder or framework topermit even distribution of the congealable liquid, which is placed uponthe fabric while hot and fluid and facilitates removal. Cooling congealsthe liquid into a flexible rubber-like substance. Upon application, someof the liquid is absorbed by the threads of the fabric. Some of theliquid fluid finds its Way through the interstices, which vary in sizewith different fabrics, of course depending upon the size of the mesh.In the case of the particular mixture which has just been described, ithas been found by experimentation that if a fabric as fine as muslin beused the coating does not adhere well and in ordinary handling comesloose entirely or in part, forming air pockets at which points thesurface of the meat will darken and otherwise deteriorate. If fabricwith as wide a mesh as cheese cloth for example be used, the coveringcannot be removed without tearingand damaging the meat. A fabric havinga mesh about midway between muslin and cheese cloth, such for example asexport beef cloth, gives the best results with the particular moisturewhich has just been described. It will be seen that the fabric serves topermit the formation of a multiplicity of points of adhesion, the numberand extent of such points of adhesion being governed by the size of themesh. Very fine mesh permits insuflicient extent of the points ofadhesion. Wide mesh permits too great adhesion. It is, of course, amatter of experimentation to determine the size of the mesh necessary togive the best results with any particular mixture. We have discoveredthat a fabric or fabric-like substance must first be placed in contactwith the cut surface for the application of the congealable adhesivecoating in order to control the extent and tenacity of adhesion. It willbe noted that the points of adhesion are small in any event and thatthey are close together, the distance between being occupied by a threadwhich has absorbed the coating material and is held in contact with thesurface of the meat by means of the adjacent points of adhesion. We havesuccessfully altered the composition of the coating by substitutingglucose, for example, for glycerin.

Glucose, like glycerin, acts as a hygroscopic agent to keep the gelatinflexible. The adhesive and hermetic qualities of the gelatin are notmaterially affected by the substitution of glucose for glycerin. Asatisfactory mixture of a coating in which glucose is used would bewater 61%, gelatin 20%, glucose 15% and essential oil 0.1%. Common saltin minute quantities, for example, 4%, may be added for its germicidaleffect, in which case the quantity of essential oil may be reduced.

It will be readily seen that any equivalent of glycerin or glucose maybe used, such as sugar, glycol, dextrine, gums and resins, (natural orsynthetic). Another mixture which would give reasonably satisfactoryresults consists of water 62%, gelatin 21%, sugar 13% and essential oillimitation, and various changes in the details and ingredients of theseveral mixtures and the methods set out may be made without departingfrom the spirit of this invention as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. As an article of commerce, the combination of a piece of fresh meatrefrigerated to a temperature sufficiently low to prevent substantialbacterial propagation having a portion of its surface provided by thenatural fat or non-muscular tissue and another portion provided by theexposed muscular tissue of an untreated cut surface, and a covering forsaid muscular tissue cut surface in intimate contact therewiththroughout its entire area maintained against displacement by adhesionto said surface but capable of being forcibly removed withoutdestructive effect to said muscular tissue or altering the originalfreshly cut appearance thereof, said covering being capable ofmaintaining for prolonged periods of time, the original color,appearance and condition of said cut surface without appreciable changeand comprising a fabric of open texture applied to said cut surface inintimate contact therewith and a congealable solution containing anessential oil having germicidal properties on said fabric with portionsthereof projecting through the openings in said fabric and in adhesivecontact with said cut surface.

2. The process which consists in cutting fresh meat as a part of theslaughtering and dressing operation, to provide pieces of the desiredsize and shape having a portion of their surfaces composed of thenatural fat or non-muscular tissue and another portion composed of theexposed muscular tissue of an untreated cut surface, then within aperiod of time thereafter insufflcient to permit substantial bacterialpropagation or any change in the color, appearance and condition of saidcut surface and without otherwise treating said cut surface, applyingfabric having openings therethrough in intimate contact with said cutsurface, and a covering on top of said fabric, comprising a congealableliquid containing an essential oil having germicidal properties andcausing portions of said covering to extend through the.

openings in said fabric and adhere to said cut surface and hold theentire covering and fabric in intimate contact with the entire area ofsaid cut surface, and thereafter without substantial delay refrigeratingsaid pieces to a temperature sufficiently low to prevent substantialbacterial propagation, and finally maintaining said low temperature andsaid covering in such contact until further processing is requiredpreparatory to retail sale and/or consumption.

LEVI SCO'I'I PADDOCK. RICHARD W. REGENSBURGER.

